XXXXX𝓣he lacklustre end of the year, in Meiyu's eyes, had left her desiring nothing more than brooding alone in her room as Oxford'S temperatures rose for the summer. Her family had planned their annual trip to Seoul, South Korea with her father and youngest brother, Bomi, almost jumping for joy as each day passed, evidently excited to return, much to her dismay. Meiyu on the other hand, spent most of her holiday contemplating whether her beloved, Hans of Berlin, would actually visit — having yet to hear from him regarding the matter, though, she remained hopeful that their first meeting would have at least left him desiring to reconcile. Five months had passed since their initial meeting, a face finally connecting with a name, though, she had not seen him during the Spring ball, despite her hopeful eyes scouring the castle.

Meiyu had come to terms that their strange relationship was over. She had finally displayed an unfathomable exhibition of pure sickness that pushed him away, her heart aching at the painful reminder that her confidante despised her — likely akin to her narcissistic tendencies tying in with her growing paranoia.

With the early afternoon approaching, Meiyu's thoughts were immediately distracted by a gentle knock on her door, tearing her gaze away from the acres of land that observed a direct view of a nearby reservoir. A quiet creek echoed the quiet room as her mother emerged, a gentle smile plastering her face as she gazed lovingly upon her only daughter, slowly approaching her with what Meiyu could only presume was malicious intent.

"I did not see you at breakfast earlier this morning, you should come down, or perhaps ready yourself for the day ahead. Your uncle Cyrus has offered to escort you to Diagon Alley, he said he found a shop you would perhaps enjoy." Her mother commented, swiftly moving past the door which had shielded Meiyu from the others. Wasting no time to scuffle around as though picking up discarded items and working as though she were a house elf — muffled echos of items being rearranged on her vanity filled the eerily quiet room.

"I appreciate his sentiment, what did you bribe him with?" Meiyu brashly rebuked, immediately growing uninterested with the coup in progress.

"Merely a suggestion of mine. I only requested you both stop at a salon to ridden you of the horrible dye job you somehow managed to do at school. If not, I'm sure I can scavenge something up to bring your natural colour back." Elizabeth added once more, sneaking in a sly remark to the hair colour she gravely disapproved of, which was typical of her mother to do so — she was her mother's daughter after all.

Scoffing in response, Meiyu finally tore her gaze away from the reservoir, swiftly moving her gaze to her mother who gazed at her lovingly. Irregardless to how sick Meiyu was, there was something far more sinister with her mother and she was unable to pinpoint it. At times, she accredited her mother's behaviour to her maternal grandparents, forcing the woman to present herself in such an odd manner, yet, she had grown tired of attempting to deduce what sickness she had been riddled with over the years — her infatuation shifting to tormenting others for slight dopamine bursts. In spite of it all, the recent months had riddled Meiyu with a plague unfathomable to those around her, her cold demeanour shifting to long for her dear friend who she had little to no communication with as the seasons transitioned from solemn cold mornings to a borderline insufferable summer.

"I shall consider it. Are you heading out to work any time soon?" Meiyu dryly drawled, quickly growing accustomed to the newly routine developed upon her return over the summer break. Once her family concluded a morning round up during breakfast, her parents set off to work, taking it in turns to accompany her two younger brothers to her grandparents house, roping somebody in to look after the growing boys whilst Meiyu remained secluded in her room, gazing out her window and absentmindedly observing the nearby reservoir — occasionally diverting her gaze to the clouds which scarcely scattered the almost arctic blue skies. Her mother's pursed lips quickly confirmed her deduction, paying no mind to what time of day it had been had it not been for the post-breakfast intrusion and soon, her mother departed her room allowing Meiyu to re-embrace the silence that had grown as her accomplice.

A chilling sensation of an eight legged creature quickly brought Meiyu back to reality, immediately forcing her to shift her gaze down to Kensington who moved as though insinuating something beyond her own comprehension, only then, did a faint sound drawl her attention away from the web adoring creature. Rushing to her feet, Meiyu slid into her slippers, still supporting her ghastly white nightgown, marching through the wooden flooring of the Xiang Manor, Kensington following behind her. Moving with such urgency, Meiyu almost sprinted through the corridors and down the spiral staircase until she found herself in the landing, cautiously approaching the large entrance and pulling the door wide open, her eyes almost gawking in a mix of embarrassment and surprise.

"Hans?"

XXXXX𝓓ays spent dawdling over their reunion dwindled within the second Hans addressed her with her full name. It was cruel, as though the latter had intentionally desired to push her buttons once more. The foul relationship between the two would be far beyond comprehension to the eye of a bystander — twisted, ruthless and outright bizarre, somehow, Meiyu's longing for her dearest friend had forced to swallow the pride she strode with, headstrong. Kensington crawled with urgency over her nightgown, having yet to change to daytime clothes, the webbed creature immediately sought to bring ease to the young girl, resting on her shoulder in mere seconds.

Thoughts scattered her mind as though seeking an immediate answer to the German's impromptu arrival, his lack of correspondence leading up to this very moment was unlike him and despite what had occurred, here he stood, at the footing of the entryway into her home in Oxfordshire — which was a long way from Berlin, where he resided. Within a few seconds and the blink of an eye, Hans had strode into her home; the echo of his boots against the wooden flooring of the entry way almost sent an eerie chill down her spine with the irregularity of her friends, or the lack of, frequenting her home. Meiyu savoured the few seconds of silence, exhaling with a sense of unfathomable emotion until she slammed the front door shut, turning on her heel to glare at the boy, eyes slightly narrowing in search of any expression across his face.

"Must I remind you that you are here on your own accord?" She discontentedly mumbled, finally breaking the silence that had, for a moment, sufficed, until it became unbearable.

With sincerity, Meiyu had invited Hans to the manor on a whim, desperately seeking to salvage any remnants of the relationship they once shared, albeit more significant on her part. Her initial eagerness on their first meeting had only left the young girl aching, mentally and physically, unlike her usual demeanour. Yet, despite the pain he had caused her, Meiyu could not comprehend his sudden appearance after months of silence. Throughout the remainder of her time as a first year in that wretched school passed by, her newfound routine which had previously consisted of reading his letters had soon been replaced with duelling practice, solitude, and most notably, prefect duties. There had been times where she longed to write to him but had no heart to do so, what had he expected her to say? Despite the activities she partook in to pass time, he had made no effort either.

A light breeze which had emit into the entryway had quickly brought Meiyu back to her senses, aided by Kensington's light movements on her shoulder which she had felt over her nightgown, forcing Meiyu to feign a smile with the pleasantries she had learnt during her etiquette classes. "Forgive my manners, or the lack thereof. Follow me for a second while I change into something more, fitting." Meiyu chimed with eagerness, contrary to her earlier demeanour.

Meiyu manoeuvred with haste through the entryway until she reached the grandiose staircase; the presence of another had reminded her of the masquerade she had hosted at the start of the year, a few days after the incident had occurred in the Knight manor. Presuming Hans had followed in her suit, she hurriedly piqued once more, "I presume you'll stay a few days at the very least? There are a few guest rooms you can choose from." To Meiyu, her idle chatter was a mere distraction from what she truly wished to convey, yet she could not trust her own home, which at times was subjected to frequent visitations from her family, given the Knight manor was not too far in proximity to her own home. Although her family did not employ house elves at the demand of her mother, who thought her children were housekeepers, it did not decrease the likelihood of an impromptu visit from her uncles or, worse, her grandmother.

It had taken little time for Meiyu to reach the top of the landing, rarely looking back to see if Hans had followed her deeper into her home. Briskly moving into her bedroom once more, Meiyu made sure to close the door behind her, turning the key on the rustic as she would change into something more flattering. Given the full day ahead, she opted for a black polka dot skirt and black tee, hurriedly changing from her ghastly nightgown into something weather appropriate, though inadvertently keeping in-tune with death. Once content and swiftly changing, Meiyu moved to her dressing table and for the first time, looked at herself. Perhaps Hans' lack of commentary earlier had made sense, her ghastly appearance had been enunciated by her choice in nightwear. Dark circles consisting of blue and purple hues beneath her eyes had worsened her condition and in the corner of the mirror, her eyes caught a small reflection of the silver dagger resting on her bedside table beside her unkept bed.

"It's far too soon." She had mumbled to herself, lightly shaking her head and striking her head up with poise, soon marching back to her door and turning the key, forcing a smile before she pulled at the round glass handle and opened the door once more.

"Come in."